• Music - Youtube

    (Video) When Dusk Meets Dawn – A Journey Through Baltic Music

    May 21, 2021 - By 

    I have a deep love of Baltic culture which kind of makes sense since my maternal line has roots in what is today Kaliningrad, Russia, but was, for centuries, German and Baltic (Old Prussian) soil. The music in the region possesses a magical quality to it, quite unlike any other region in Europe. ARTE.tv produced a nice documentary featuring Andris Nelsons, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, Paavo Järvi, Gidon Kremer and Arvo Pärt talking about what makes the region of the music so special. Special thanks to Chris Morley, whose wisdom and taste in music mirrors and surpasses my own. I am indebted…

  • Music

    James Lindsay – Torus

    March 29, 2021 - By 

    April 23, 2021 is a bit of a long way from today, but waiting three and a half weeks for what is a very impressive album is a small price to pay. James Lindsay is a Scottish folk musician who absolutely transcends the genre.  Having had the pleasure of hearing some of these tracks in advance, I have to say that James not only masters folk music incredibly well, but he manages to shift directions into contemporary jazz, fusion (a touch), Nu-Jazz and even hints of ambient music. I’m old enough to remember Scottish folk as being something quite different…

  • Music - Youtube

    Ceoltóirí Chualann – Ríl Mhór Bhaile an Chalaidh

    March 17, 2021 - By 

    Today is Saint Patrick’s Day for Western Christians, and is also celebrated by my fellow Orthodox, though his feast day on the Julian Calender is March 30. I thought I would share a bit of Irish music, but something not so common. I’m sure a great many of you know the work of Ireland’s third-most famous export (after Guinness Beer and U2), The Chieftains. They have toured the world bringing Celtic music to the masses, even making a legendary appearance at the Great Wall of China in 1983. The band got their start after the members of the above band, led…

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    Vàli – Forlatt

    March 6, 2021 - By 

    Vàli are a neofolk band out of Norway whose music shows references to bands like Ulver and Empyrium.  It’s a rather gentle album with acoustic guitar and fiddle, reminding me of the American folk-rock band Changes and the Chinese neofolk band Raflum.  A mellow experience.

  • Music

    Seirios Savvaidis – Moly (μώλυ)

    February 22, 2021 - By 

    Seirios Savvaidis is a Greek singer and songwriter who brings a raw, ancient sound to his brand of folk music.  One can hear not only his acoustic guitar, but also bagpipes, bouzouki, percussions, electric guitar, accordion, synths, and polyphonic ensembles.  The music is dense, rich, and harkens back to a hazy, mystical era in Greek history. A really impressive album.  This will appeal to fans of the Japanese band Ghost, Krautrock like Popol Vuh and perhaps to those who like Current 93 as well.

  • Music

    Erkin Sadykov & Abdugheni Abdurusul – Secret of the world. Archival recordings of Uyghur music from Kyrgyzstan

    January 6, 2021 - By 

    There is little information available on Uyghur musicians Erkin Sadykov (vocal, dutar) and Abdugheni Abdurusul (tambur), but the quality of these recordings show a warm, sensitive interpretation of music we’re watching disintegrate before our eyes.  Thankfully, Kyrgyzstan allows their Uyghur minority to live and protect their traditions in peace.